


Bloomer

by CaptainRivaini



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Depression, F/F, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Potential Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-15 22:51:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2246310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainRivaini/pseuds/CaptainRivaini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first thing Vivienne sees when she wakes up is Sera at the bottom of her bed, the small, slumbering elf  with her rubber ball clutched tightly to her chest at each snore that passed her lips.</p><p>What a strange little thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Battle Scars

**Author's Note:**

> There are sensitive issues touched upon in this fic, I wrote it mostly due to the fact I wanted to see a side of Sera and Vivienne both that hasn't been written before, and also because writing this helped me get through my own bouts of depression more than once.
> 
> It is Part 1 of 2.

**V** ivienne wasn’t used to sharing a bed with anyone, but after Sera’s room got flooded by the Inquisitor’s illustrious magical experiments (if they could be called even that) the small, spunky elf had to share her room for the time being and in spite of the elf being excited before about it – to Vivienne’s horror – from where the enchanter sat now, she would have to argue that Sera had had a change of heart.

She was staring at herself in the mirror, moving her blonde locks behind her pointed ears worriedly with one hand whereas the other moved around Vivienne’s dresser in order to search for the spongy rubber ball that the elf always kept with her in order to roll it up and down her palm.

Something was bothering Sera, and if Vivienne wasn’t already in her nightclothes and already falling asleep she would have probably protested, or at least go out of her way to ask what was plaguing the elf girl’s mind.

The last thing she saw was Sera’s ball bouncing up and down on her floor, dangerously close to her mirror.

* * *

**T** he first thing she sees when she wakes up is Sera at the bottom of her bed, twitching in her sleep with such agitation that Vivienne wondered if it would be a good idea to wake her up. But she hadn’t seen her come to bed or sleep for that matter, perhaps it would be a better idea to leave her do so without disturbing her.

 She does and finds herself getting dressed much slower than usual, her footsteps small and light and her eyes betraying her every so often in order to look at the small, slumbering elf with her rubber ball clutched tightly to her chest at each snore that passed her lips.

What a strange little thing, to have a possession like that as the comfort one used to help them sleep.

Vivienne left Sera to sleep, her long, white silk cloak trailing behind her.

* * *

**L** ately Vivienne found herself unable to be by herself for more than a few minutes, which explained why she didn’t flinch when a book she had been interested in was picked from the other side of the book shelf, revealing moments later that the person responsible was none other than the Left Hand of the Divine herself whom didn’t seem all that surprised to see her.

“Madame De Fer,” Leliana greeted coolly, flipping through the first few pages with a smile that made Vivienne stand all that bit straighter, as should be expected around the more ‘sinister’ agent of the Divine, “it surprises me to see you here, you did not strike me as the type to wander into the typical fairy tales and myths in this section of the library.”

 Vivienne cleared her throat and reached for another book about Dane and the Werewolf, she had no interest in this sort of story (her interests ranged largely about magic and assassins) but she would need to be on her guard when it involved Leliana, Maker knows what she was taking in to feed back to the Divine and when this was all over, when the Inquisition was not needed any longer…

She didn’t even want to think about it, and so she allowed that trail of thought to wander elsewhere so she could instead focus on the agent on the opposite side of the bookshelf in front of her.

“I keep myself to myself here, there are plenty of things about me nobody needs to know of,” Vivienne turned the page to the contents, sighing dramatically, “and by Maker, do we need better books. This one Sera has vandalised by drawing moustaches on all of the artwork done-“

“Speaking of Sera-“ Leliana interrupted, closing the book she had been reading with a snap, her blue eyes dark and questioning, “she did not return to your room until early in the morning, was there a disagreement? I can gladly offer her my room if something has happened to cause tension between the two of-“

That didn’t quite register in Vivienne’s head as fast as one would expect, in fact it took a moment or two to realize that Leliana was suggesting Sera hadn’t been asleep in her room for most of the night, and whilst she hadn’t seen the elven girl fall asleep it didn’t seem right – at all.

She placed her book back to where it belonged, “I and Sera have had no argument, the girl is tiresome at the best of times but I believed her to be tired enough last night we had no real time for discussion. But you’re suggesting differently?”

Leliana, to her own benefit had a concerned frown on her face, “no suggestion Vivienne, she was outside for most of the night throwing a ball around and disturbing the hounds and only left when she caught sight of me watching her; I thought there had perhaps been an arguement between you two.”

“I-“Vivienne started to say but a large BANG as the library door swung open made both herself and Leliana change from their casual, chatting stances to that in which they took when in the heat of battle, Vivienne’s hand already brushing against the carved silverite of her staff and Leliana going for the bow behind her in order to dock an arrow in position.

What greeted them was the main target of their discussion whom had the biggest grin on her face whilst the noise of yelling behind her followed her like a bad smell.

Vivienne didn’t bother to ask what had happened, all she did was arch her brow to question what in Maker’s name Sera expected to find or do in a library as small as the one they were in right now.

“Hey Viv! Leliana!” Sera greeted with another grin, rushing past them as fast as she could with a haste that told a story the elf probably didn’t fancy sharing herself, not that there was a lot to learn from what little you could take away from the rogue elf climbing up the largest bookcase situated by the open window, “what are you two gals doing in here? The sun’s outside, there are still tears in the sky and we still have a cloudy chance of demons dropping down on us any moment! Better to catch that sun while you can!”

A crashing sound followed as both of them watched as Sera cocked her leg up and over the window, her fingers grabbing onto the pane before she lost her balance and slipped, the splashing of water from the fountain below enough to cause Vivienne and Leliana a sigh of relief.

“Maybe I was wrong to be worried about her,” Leliana laughed, returning her bow and arrow to where they had been before and clearing stray strand of red hair from her forehead, “she can clearly handle herself without having me worrying over her.”

Vivienne found that she wasn’t listening, too focused on the red, spongy ball that Sera had dropped in her haste to escape from whatever the yelling seemed to be outside of the library doors. If she had to guess, it was most likely another prank of Bull’s and Sera’s that had gotten out of hand, and as it often did, led to them then pranking one another.

The ball itself wasn’t anything special, it was red, small and the sponge was torn and picked at near the centre of the battered looking item as though Sera had been trying to poke her fingers through it numerous times and had only been unable to succeed maybe due to her poor attention span that Vivienne had seen herself many times before.

It reminded Vivienne of her time at the Circle, far too much for her liking.

When she picked the ball up she examined it with a sigh, “Perhaps you are wrong to think differently.”

* * *

**S** era felt as though she was going to throw up.

Sweat trickled down her back and her mind whirled over and over again as it had been since she had rushed back to the library, soaking wet and the librarian (whom held such overbearing loyalty to that stupid place it made Sera roll her eyes) cursing her in high shrieks as Sera had demanded to know if she had seen a small ball that must have dropped when she had been in here before.

 _‘It’s red, it has some of its insides missing, have you seen it in here?’_ Sera had tried asking again and again but the shrieking shemlen hadn’t even paid any attention, just ranting and raving to get out because the library was closed and ‘ _even the Inquisitor’s companions had to meet the rules around here._ ’

Sera was only partially grateful – at least with all the shrieking and angry shouting nobody could hear the tremor in her voice or see the glint of anxiousness that was apparent in her eyes.

She had put on a brave face and cursed back, had left the library with a laugh on her lips that had turned into another tremor of her voice and a shake of her legs, a wave of panic coming to settle into her stomach that made her feel as the walls were closing in all around her.

There had been the sound of a bell chiming to signal that they were needed in the dinner hall, all Sera could remember was gritting her teeth and bearing it as much as she could.

Vivienne had kept looking at her all the way through it, was she being that obvious? That she couldn’t sit still, that her fingers were twitching behind her back and her teeth was nibbling at the inside of her mouth again and again in order to try and keep herself still – completely grounded as the Inquisitor discussed their next plan of action.

That mage always seemed to know what she was up to even when she was being quiet, it was somewhat unnerving to Sera and it often led her feeling as though Vivienne was seeing right through her.

She liked Vivienne enough, she was not as cold as her reputation made her out to be and Sera often found herself in the mage’s company by her own doing rather than not. It was something she did not treat negatively, but rather as an opportunity to become closer to the shemlen that were part of this Inquisition.

And besides that, at least thinking about Vivienne even as the Inquisitor talked managed to still her shaking fingers.

It didn’t stop her from having to paste a smile on her face whenever Bull nudged her playfully where he stood next to her, nor did it stop her absolute desire to find that red ball again so that her hands could play and squeeze with _something!_

She entertained so many thoughts, breasts, arse, hands…

Sera felt as though she was still going to be sick.

It was a relief when the Inquisitor dismissed them, and after that Sera only went on her search once more.

* * *

**D** inner had been hard to keep down, her smile and jokes around the rest of them were even harder than that. It was hard to do anything today, this week in particular she seemed to be out for herself if that made sense to anyone else but her, and Sera supposed that level of paranoia was what had denied her from seeking any mage’s advice in the first place.

What could the do after all, to stop such a crippling self-hatred and sadness that made her want to shrink away into existence? To stop the anxiety that ate away at her whenever those waves raised up to its full height and swallowed her whole?

Sera didn’t think they could do anything, and so she had never asked.

Leliana would no doubt be looking for her again tonight and her room still resembled the bottom of the deepest, dirtiest ocean so there was no point but to go back to the room she would be sharing with Vivienne, grumbling all the way about how in spite of her feelings for the other woman it still would not make it easier for her to go to sleep, in fact perhaps it would only make it harder under the circumstances.

She wringed her hands together, there still had been no sign of her red ball and it shamed her to say she had been near tears during the end of dinner.

The wave crashed over her again the moment the door opened and Vivienne walked in, her tall and beautiful grace made Sera stiffen and stand from where she had been sitting on the end of Vivienne’s bed, already making up the best excuse she could think of as fast as possible.

“Well shit me! You tryna scare the livin hell out of me-?” Sera started to say with a laugh that quickly faded into a mere chuckle once she saw that Vivienne had not returned to their room empty-handed but with the item that had been driving Sera insane in her attempts to find it, “what…shit, how did you-“

“You dropped it in the library,” Vivienne always spoke so matter-of-factly, as though nothing bothered her, “I was going to give it you at dinner but I felt it would be better to give it you in private.”

Sera snatched the ball away from Vivienne’s hand as though not doing so would have burned her, her heart racing a mile a minute and her fingers practically digging into the soft sponge there with a sigh of relief that she was unable to stop passing through her. She didn’t know what she wanted to do, scream and shout? Remain calm?

Her mind won over her heart, as it so often did, “you thought it was a good idea for me to wait so long after I’d spent so flamin’ long lookin’ for it? You tit! I nearly turned that library upside down lookin’ for it and you had-“

“Sera,” Vivienne warned, a fire in her eyes that Sera paid no attention to.

“-it all along! Balls! I was…” Sera trailed off as she finally noticed the woman in front of her didn’t seem the least bit as though she was put off by her yelling, and fuck it, if she wasn’t put off then Sera wasn’t going to try and speak any longer – or at the very least, not yell any longer, “ach! You should have told me, tit! Bull said it was you and well, well, well it –“

“Sera,” Vivienne spoke again and it cut through Sera like a knife, the forced camaraderie and wit that had been dancing on Sera’s tongue dissipated in a matter of moments and her grip on the ball in her hand tightened, “it’s late. You should get some sleep.”

Sera watched as the enchanter walked past her, hands already moving to slip off the horned hat that she usually wore to place it on top of the stand that Sera hadn’t noticed, was on top of another dresser near the side of Vivienne’s bed, looking the picture of perfect and organized as everything else did in the room.

Her fingers dug into the sponge before she threw it up again, catching it and squeezing it tightly, “Eh, I took you for a night owl, that’s one bet I’ve lost with Bull today.”

Vivienne didn’t respond to her and it took Sera a while to realize that was because she was getting undressed, unfortunately her realization only occurred when she watched the other woman in the mirror and saw dark, bare skin being revealed inch by inch as the mage behind her got undressed in order to place her nightclothes over her.

 _‘Well shit,’_ Sera thought, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh, _‘at least she’s bloody distracting.’_

Back when she had been part of the Friends of Red Jenny they had to have shared a room, and well Sera had never been shy back then either. Sometimes she figured the thought of naked bodies so close to her own were what distracted her from hurting herself, imagining the warmth they emanated and how comforting it was in a world of vitriolic thoughts that threatened to linger whenever Sera felt another wave of self-hatred crash over her.

It had helped with sleeping too, even if some of the shems there threatened to kill her in her sleep for staring too long – but they had been bad people, and well, bad people died a little quicker than anyone else that fell on Sera’s blade.

When Sera sneaked a look again Vivienne was wearing a long sleeved white button up and fine, silk trousers, bare foot and her tight curls looked a complete contrast of what Vivienne was always descripted as, soft, warm and inviting in the sense that it was nice to see a Vivienne who was as bare and open away from the work of the Inquisition.

Sera appreciated that; though she could find humour in the practical look of formal wear that Vivienne wore even for a simple matter of going to bed and sleeping.

That was distracting too.

“Do they hold fashion competitions in the Fade ya think?” Sera asked over her shoulder, glancing away when Vivienne caught her eyes in the mirror, “or do they just not bother? If you ask me that would be a great opportunity for spirits to entertain themselves, well, y’know, when they aren’t trying to figure out what-“

“They stopped fashion competitions in the Fade,” Vivienne responded, cutting Sera off with a lilt of humour in her voice the young elf found herself craving when she glanced back to see the other woman was smiling gently, “everyone kept forgetting the dates of them, and so many sleep in the nude…The scandal, it was too much for the spirits there – cancellations were made.”

Sera snickered and her grip on the red ball lessened, it felt as easy as breathing now and she wondered vaguely how it could have been so hard before. Perhaps it explained a lot of things actually, distractions often made the closed up, condensed feeling disappear after a while, but it was such a small, little fix.

Vivienne walked past her as Sera was lost in her thoughts, a hand brushing her shoulder in order to grab her attention long enough that when she did look up she saw that Vivienne was merely rearranging objects around her room, placing her fine, leather gloves back in their drawer, rearranging the map of Thedas on her wall with a mere tilt of her fingers, picking up the comb on the side of the dresser to run it through her curls…

Sera inhaled noisily, her smile tense and painful, “always knew you had humour somewhere!”

Vivienne made a small nose of impatience and again that was enough to knock Sera for six, eyes wide as she took in the enchantress moving past her again to lift the covers from her bed and slip inside with a small, tired yawn escaping her and her arms moving into a stretch that made the woman’s whole body shake as she leant back against the pillows nestled against the headboard.

“Will you be venturing outside again or will you actually accompany me and go to sleep?” The enchanter asked, the knowing in her voice made Sera want to run in the other direction and it took everything, absolutely everything, to turn around and meet Vivienne’s knowing gaze with a smirk that made Sera feel hollow inside.

“Awwww, don’t go actin’ as though you care Vivienne,” Sera quipped with a thump to her chest, her smirk hardening at the cool look being thrown her way, “you gettin’ people to spy on me isn’t the way to woo this elf!”

Instead of retorting like Sera had expected, Vivienne’s eyes fell to look at the ball still clenched tightly in her hand. It was such an unnerving move of her eyes, a quick glance like that shouldn’t have made her flinch but Sera couldn’t help it and from the way Vivienne’s eyes softened it only made sense for the other woman to know what had just occurred between them.

Sera gritted her teeth, “Bull made me eat somethin’ funny, the dirty shit, it’s jus’ coming back to haunt me that’s all.”

Her hand went to feel at the puckered skin under her glove.

_‘Don’t scratch it’._

Vivienne arched a finely shaped brow at her, tugging the covers of her bed back with a sigh, “if you are coming to bed, do so now before I get comfortable and you feel it necessary to sleep on the floor again.”

Sera pocketed the ball in her trousers, eyeing Vivienne warily and taking in every single piece of body language the enchanter allowed herself to give off. It was a method Sera had grown used to, as one had to when before she had been a mere urchin on Denerim’s streets, avoiding capture by hiding behind old buildings and forcing herself to climb roofs and the likes, all in order to survive and not be placed in that foul place called the alienage.

Vivienne did not seem like the Orlesian prejudiced noblewoman that Sera had seen numerous times whilst being in Orlais, but that didn’t mean it was true.

“Tsk, sharing a bed with an elf,” she goaded with a small laugh and a wicked smile, “what next, will I become your favourite new pet to show off for all your fancy snobbish friends to see? I didn’t even want to sleep here in the first place for sod’s sake!”

The mage’s hand did not lift from the cover she had pulled back for Sera to slip inside, and neither had Vivienne said or had done anything else to neither coax her in nor push her away. She simply stared again, looking unfazed by Sera’s outburst even if those softened eyes of hers did imply otherwise; not that Sera would allow herself to be fooled by some soft-eyed Vivienne that she hadn’t seen before.

Shemlen were like that, especially ones in power.

Vivienne cleared her throat then however, and it called to Sera as though a siren called to sailor at sea.

“I have made you uncomfortable and I apologize for it, if you wish to leave then you should not feel as though you have to be stuck here with me, Quill will no doubt hold no grudge in you sharing with her,” Vivienne paused then and Sera knew it was a pause that would hold a meaningful intent behind it, pauses like that usually did, “but before you decide, if you would humour me with something.”

Sera sneered, her back already turned to walk right out of the door of Vivienne’s room, “I don’t humour silly noblewomen with anything.”

When she slammed the door closed it rattled, the bolts and knob of damned thing shaking enough that the sound of it echoed down the near empty corridor, only guarded by a few guards every few doors that led out of the Inquisition’s personal chambers.

A guardsmen lifted up his visor (sod had been asleep, Sera would have teased him mercilessly about it if…) and his bright eyes blinked at her wearily, obviously unused to such noise that he had to look at her twice before he actually spoke to her.

“Everythin’ s’alright ma’am?” He asked, his Orlesian accent thick and sounding too much like Vivienne’s lisp for comfort.

“Sod off!” Sera replied, ignoring the sound of the Inquisitor’s door opening and murmured conversation behind her.

Sod it all.


	2. Late Bloomers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bloody hands were always such a damned mess.

* * *

**Q** uill watched as Quill always did, and Sera could feel her at the very middle of her back, green eyes burning a hole there in order to try and expose her heart from where Sera and Cassandra were both walking at the front of the group that were currently treading their way through Redcliffe forest, whilst Quill and Vivienne followed up close behind, talking quietly among themselves.

“You’re quiet,” Cassandra commented after a moment or two of them walking up front, eyeing Sera with a strange look that seemed to be a mixture between concerned and curious, a sight the elf was not used to seeing in the woman when it came to her in particular, “too quiet in fact. Is there something bothering you?”

That feeling, that crippling wave again…It made Sera’s back straighten at the Seeker’s question even as a smile already made its way to her thinly painted pink lips, an unspoken challenge to cause Cassandra to differ away from focusing too closely on her. She hoped that it would work, she needed it to.

Cassandra may be rash and easily-tempered, but Sera knew very well she was no nug-blinded fool, “Oh the usual! Just thinkin’ ‘bout that space at the bar back at Skyhold bein’ so cold and lonely without my arse sat there with Bull.” And just in case Cassandra didn’t believe that, Sera sent a sharp nudge to the Seeker’s ribs that her armour covered, her smile wicked, “don’t tell me you were worried Cass! Your reputation will go ter shit if you keep this up, eh?”

It worked like a charm and Sera would have patted herself on the back if she could, pleased that her instincts had been right and Cassandra only gave her a look of disbelief before she shook her head and continued walking, muttering curses under her breath that Sera could make out as clear as day – oh the Seeker was so predictable like that.

Then she felt Quill’s arm wrapped around her neck as the other elf bounded up behind her to pull themselves together, cheek to cheek and hip to hip as though Lavellan was going to tell her a particular secret that only the two of them were to know of; it was both intimate and intimidating which described Quill perfectly in Sera’s opinion.

“That was some beautiful bit of blind-siding there,” Quill whispered, her eyes speaking of sensuality that Sera met with a suggestive (if somewhat hopeful) expression but her voice, that prominent twang of Tevene that resided in her accent spoke little of sensuality, merely stunted concern, “but I admit, you could be doing better…”

It was the odd mixture of carnal affection and unease in the Inquisitor that made Sera take a step away from the Tevinter elf, her hand reaching for the ball that she kept at her belt to squeeze at it tightly for a split second before it returned to her side. Quick, easy, simple. Quill was clever, but even she couldn’t understand what this was all about.

Sera arched her brow at the look of concern she was still being given, shaking her head almost pityingly at the elf still walking beside her, “come oooon Lavellan, you know you’re missin’ that bar too, all that Tevinter wine and rum-“

“Stop!” Vivienne’s voice came from behind them and Sera jumped when she felt the First Enchanter brush against her, her robes touching Sera’s bare wrist for only a flicker of a moment before the other woman had her stave out and was pointing around the small, woodland area that they had been trekking through in order to head to Redcliffe castle.

Cassandra and Quill both got into defensive positions, the Seeker with her sword up high and Quill’s hands glowed brightly with magic even before they had touched her own staff to send dark blue sparks coming from the tips of the gnarled branch that she held.

Sera on the other hand looked around with an expression she herself could only describe as disconcerted, both ears and eyes searching for the source of distress that now held the rest of their group at a standstill. And really, she should be in the same defensive position as the rest, it was what she had been taught when she had been with Red Jenny, but the bitter feelings she still felt towards them (for what _? For their concern?)_ seemed to have clouded her judgement and instead of reaching for her bow she went towards her daggers instead, casually twirling the blades at the pommels.

Anything could have been coming and for some reason Sera found that she didn’t care, because lately there hadn’t been a lot of things to care about.

She caught Vivienne’s eyes and swallowed loudly, moving away from the mage to focus on the noises that was still bustling around them in the distance, and yet so close that when Sera did finally find her focus it was only to see that Cassandra had already run in front of her with shield up to fend off the smack of a wyvern’s lunge at her.

“Focus, Sera!” And then, as if matters weren’t already bad with her head whirring this way and that in order to try and gain focus, the Seeker pushed her away again and she almost fell on her face with the only saving grace being Quill’s hand holding her up and throwing her forward, triggering the raising of her daggers and the leap her momentum gave her to descend down onto another wyvern’s back.

It took the elf a little more than a minute to realize there were two wyverns circling their group before she sunk her daggers into the nearest one, holding on tight as it screeched in agony and seconds later was struck by flame with Quill’s high pitched laughter echoing throughout the forest. Diving and striking with her staff, moving side to side in order to weave her way past Vivienne’s spells that were being directed at the wyvern herself and Cassandra were trying to keep at bay.

Sera pried herself off the wyvern just in time as seconds later the beast hit himself against a tree with a furious shriek, his venom missing Sera by mere inches as she rolled underneath him and quickly scrambled between his legs with one hand pulling her along, the other stabbing the wyvern under the small, armoured plates that covered the beast’s belly as best as she could.

Moments later Sera felt her dagger leave her hand completely as the wyvern leaped away from her to where Quill was waiting for it, the usual look of confidence that the elf usually had on her features no matter what was now nowhere to be seen. And yet, with a yell the Tevinter elf sent another burst of flame. Only to be silenced seconds later, the wyvern on her before Sera could shout warning, its claws raised and its screeching loud.

“Inquisitor!” Sera heard Cassandra yell, tears shocking her to a standstill that made the Seeker sprinting over to the wyvern appear blurred and slow. Was that what the Fade felt like, she wondered, slow, blurry and full of a dread that made Sera’s heart skip a beat at the realization that with one stroke of a weapon, of a claw, everything could be dashed aside, just like that.

Her hands went to her bow, if Cassandra was going after that wyvern, then…

Sera notched an arrow and fired.

It was all on instinct really, there was no time to think of anything and like that it felt as if all of her senses had heightened and her arrow was sailing towards the wyvern whose legs had been frozen with Vivienne’s ice spells, cracking the ice into small shards at the thunderous impact that left the beast’s legs buckling and a sound of wailing to fill the air. Loud, everything was so loud.

Sera pressed her hands over her ears the moment she saw the wyvern fall and Vivienne turn to look at her, her eyes shutting briefly before she glanced to the side to let her hands drop in order to cover her mouth at the sight of a bloodied, bruised Inquisitor, an Inquisitor who breathed deeply as Cassandra held her in her arms.

Her robes were ripped at the front where the wyvern’s claws had dug into her and had left behind three large gashes starting from her neck to end near the top of her breasts, blood oozing out of the wounds to trickle down the elf’s arms, and to stain Cassandra’s now bared hands a ruddy red colour.

Everything had happened so fast that when Sera saw Quill hanging loosely in Cassandra’s arms, the dark elf’s freckles on her arms now stained a deep red colour, she felt the wave of shame that had always been there (scratching, oh it wouldn’t stop scratching) at the very back of her mind make its way forward to wrap her in its embrace, a comforting, volatile mix.

Cassandra looked as stern as she always did, but it would be wrong to say that there wasn’t something amiss in her expression, a quirk of the lips that could have meant anything. But to Sera she could see it was more than that and so it didn’t shock her when Cassandra moved past herself and Vivienne, strides long, heavy and angry against the tall grass that grasped at her armoured legs.

Vivienne touched her elbow then, and Sera couldn’t help but relax into it and against her own judgement (against everything that screamed at her to stop, just listen, stop right now) she turned and regarded the First Enchanter with an expression that made Vivienne sigh, her eyes cast towards Cassandra and Quill with a fondness that Sera knew was mirrored in her own.

“Come,” she said and Sera did, following after Vivienne and Cassandra, the whispers of self-doubt and anger becoming fainter and fainter.

* * *

 **S** era scratched at the scars embedded into her dark wrists until they bled.

She sat outside of Quill’s tent where healers were tending to her; Vivienne also going in and out of there with her best herbs and potions that she had taken with her from Skyhold. She looked exhausted even from doing that, and Sera didn’t know what to say to her that would stop her to at least rest. The First Enchanter needed to rest. They all did.

Cassandra hadn’t moved from where she had stood waiting outside of the Inquisitor’s tent, her face tilted upwards as though she regarded the tent in particular like some clever puzzle she couldn’t quite figure out and therefore blamed herself for her own lack of understanding. Sera didn’t try and comfort her with that, she knew that it would be all for naught and in all honesty perhaps the best thing would be to avoid the Seeker at all costs, especially when she looked as conflicted and torn as she did right now.

Sera sighed, head in hands. Her wrists were really starting to hurt, she should probably get them looked at in the privacy of the tent herself, Cassandra and Vivienne shared when they were out and away from Skyhold. Previously they had tents of their own, but it had seemed more resourceful to share rather than carry unnecessary equipment.

And who the hell cared about that anyway?

The bulge in her pocket reminded her that the rubber ball was still there and Sera thumbed it out of the place in her trousers as best as she could, already digging her fingers into the soft sponge of the damned thing and throwing it up and down with a precision that came with practice. It helped anyway. That’s all that mattered.

When Vivienne came out of the tent again, Sera grabbed her ball mid-air and moved fast in order to catch the First Enchanter by her arm from staggering slightly like Sera had expected her to do. The last time Vivienne had went into the tent she looked exhausted, now she merely looked like if she didn’t sit down soon then she would collapse.

“You need to rest,” Cassandra finally spoke after what felt like forever, moving forward in order to come against Vivienne’s other side in order to touch her wrist gently, “I will stay with the Inquisitor tonight, go with Sera, rest.”

A smile came onto Vivienne’s face as she regarded Cassandra with it like a chevalier lifting his shield in defence against an attack, though whether Vivienne saw Cassandra’s concern as that was another thing entirely.

“Is that a demand from you, Seeker?” Vivienne’s laugh was so tired that Sera wondered how she could speak at all, but she would not shush her even in an effort to comfort her. Even as much as Sera didn’t understand (nor particularly like) the higher class, the nobility, the rich, she knew that silencing them would not make her any better than them.

“A request, my lady,” Cassandra replied with a softness that made Vivienne relent and nod gratefully at the Seeker, her arm wrapping around Sera’s much smaller shoulders in order to keep her balance as together they started to hobble away from the Inquisitor’s tent towards their own.

Vivienne didn’t speak thankfully, but Sera half wondered if it was because of her or if it really was because she was far too tired to move never mind do anything else like speaking. Either way when the First Enchanter wasn’t looking Sera brought her hand up briefly to breathe on it then bring it up to her face to smell, then, once satisfied her breath didn’t stink like a nug’s arse she gripped harder onto the other woman’s side and eased the tent flap open for Vivienne to walk inside.

It was only when Vivienne had to hold onto her hand to lower herself to her bedroll (silk, Sera didn’t understand how she could stand that, but through the whole damned journey she had kept her mouth shut in Vivienne’s presence, so what right did she have to ask?) that Sera saw the First Enchanter’s own wound.

Sera knew about concealed wounds after hiding so many of her own, and when she saw that Vivienne had covered a bloodied scratch on her arm with as many bandages as she could to conceal it under her sleeve it made Sera pause, a gasp threatening to stop her from speaking completely at the sight of it in front of her.

Her heart felt like soon it would rush out of her chest, the painful similarity of the wound made her stand up that bit straighter. Look that bit closer.

Yet when Vivienne saw her she only laughed again. Sera wished she would stop that, it was so confusing to try and understand what it meant. But also it was hard to remember the last time she had laughed too in these past weeks, when those waves of anxiety, that guilt, had started to creep upon her without her knowledge.

“It’s a flesh wound my dear, just a flesh wound,” Vivienne said and at seeing Sera’s horrified look no doubt she laughed again, eyeing Sera warmly when the elf collapsed near her side with eyes wide and her ears drooped at the tips in disbelief, “do not fret so much, I told myself I would handle my own affairs properly after I got to my tent and here I am. Now, pass me my poultices over there as well as some clean bandages – I can do this myself.”

Vivienne’s imperative words would have made Sera bulk once upon a time, but now all Sera felt was this bubbling urge to smile even in spite of everything that had happened. She hadn’t laughed for so long and had been so anxious to be in Vivienne’s company since she had left her room that night in Skyhold, that being here with Vivienne and feeling that urge to smile knocked Sera for six. It was also vaguely terrifying.

When she did smile? That was scary too, but also, a relief. “Ya tit, let me help you. Look like ya gonna fall over if you move another inch.”

Sera moved so fast that she didn’t realize her head had started spinning until she had Vivienne’s poultices stacked against her one arm whilst the bandages were wrapped around her other, dragging her feet over to the First Enchanter (whom now rested against the back of the tent, eyes closed and a wearied noise escaping her ever so often) to then kneel beside her, concern already eating away at her.

“Viv,” Sera didn’t know why she said that, she didn’t know Vivienne that well, she couldn’t say that, only Quill had ever said that, she had said it in the library a month back too, she needed to stop saying it, “Viv, you look like shit.”

Vivienne winced, “Cassandra looked near falling, I had to help her,” the First Enchanter carefully placed her shaking hands over her knees, fingers massaging feeling into the limbs as best as she could all the while breathing as deeply and evenly as she could, “we are the Inquisition, we either work together or we fall apart, useless – there is no middle, and I for one, will not contribute to any sense of downfall.”

That seemed to be true if the grim line on Vivienne’s face said anything. But Sera didn’t let that stop her from reaching over to inspect Vivienne’s arm, bringing it to her face with an arched brow before she pulled out the dagger from its sheathe on her belt to gently cut away at the bandages that had wrapped the wound up, away from all-seeing eyes.

Not hers.

“I’ve got elf eyes,” she whispered with a grin that felt genuine on her face, sloppy strands of cut hair falling into her eyes clearly was funny enough however to make Vivienne chuckle under her breath before she let out another hiss, fingers curling into fists over her knees, “and with them I think it’s ‘bout time I start wrapping you up. Keep still, yep?”

Vivienne caught her hand, fingers slipping to Sera’s wrist where her nails (previously a dark purple) became stained with a dark red, “and then you, perhaps.”

Sera stuttered out of embarrassment and guilt, her brows furrowing with a shame that hit her fully in the chest and made her withdraw from Vivienne’s touch, eyes rooting to the ground and the hand that had been prepared to dip into the healing salve Vivienne had pointed out to her, halted in its descent.

“I scratched it by accident.” Shit, she hadn’t meant to stammer. Oh shit, no she hadn’t mean to stammer at all, “I didn’t even know that it happened.”

Vivienne’s eyes softened and when she did inspect her hand Sera was only half-glad to see that there was no sign of pity there, rather a look of understanding that made her stomach turn and her mind race, questioning every little contort she could see on Vivienne’s face on how it could turn like that, and for what reason.

“I believe you, be more careful next time Sera,” the First Enchanter finally said, tensing her arm to gain Sera’s attention to it once more. Sera did as she remembered from patching up her own wounds, cleaning the wound as best as she could (ignoring every little wince, she couldn’t expose herself, not now, maybe never) whilst forcing herself to stop her eyes from flickering up every now and then.

She didn’t want to presume anything. Didn’t want Vivienne to presume anything.

Sera leant her head down to tug at the bandage that she had just about finished wrapping around Vivienne’s arm, making sure her hand didn’t touch the mage’s already bloodied sleeve in order not to add more work to the sleeve of getting the stains out than it already needed. Vivienne didn’t seem that appalled by the damage of it however, just another piece of proof that Bull was such a bloody liar when it came to him trying to tell her more and more about Vivienne without her sounding creepy about it.

“Looks like ya’ sleeve is beyond repair,” Sera found herself speaking before she could stop herself, ignoring the yelling in her head to look up at the First Enchanter with a smirk, “the arm though? You’re in luck, just don’t ya strain it and it’ll, well, it should be okay…I think.”

“Reassuring,” Vivienne responded with a smile, one that didn’t fall when Sera grumbled irritably in reply and moved to roll Vivienne’s sleeve down her arm as gently as she could so that she wouldn’t disturb her wound.

Once she was done she turned the attention to her wrists. Sera hadn’t even known she had raked at them as hard as she obviously had, but blood was blood and it was best to get herself cleaned up as best as she could. And so with a nod to Vivienne she turned away, looking over her shoulder as she did so to see that the other woman seemed to have understood her reluctance and had turned her attention to elsewhere – turning out to be the small collection of boxes she had brought with her from the Keep.

Sera wished she could thank her without saying it aloud; she was so easy when it came to words, especially with words she didn’t mean. But now?

Words were hard to come by when it came to her own feelings, and so like usual Sera knew it would be best to turn them somewhere else.

“Do you think Quill will be alright, then?” Quill wasn’t that easy to talk about either, mostly because the Tevinter elf was a hard person to understand and often Sera didn’t quite get her own feelings about the elf either. She did know, however, that Quill and Vivienne were close enough that it would be alarming to think that Vivienne held no emotional capacity towards the Inquisitor’s well-being at this time.

It took Vivienne time to respond but Sera was in no hurry to hear her, too busy cleaning the scratches so they didn’t become infected by her own foolishness to listen really – but anything was better than sitting in silence, silence was never golden, silence was some sort of cruel lie that gave false hope.

To Sera it was just an indication that she was expressing her hurt and anxiety aloud, and that had never been an option for her and never would be.

When Vivienne did talk Sera was glad she had just finished wrapping her wrists up, her surprise at the other woman’s words making her turn to shock her even more at what she saw next.

“She’s one of the elvhen, as ridiculous as she may come across, she’ll be fine,” and yes, oh how she surprised Sera with how quickly she had unlaced the top of her robe from her body, back turned to face her as the other woman struggled out of her robes, breathing heavy and arm curled protectively into her side, “ah, Sera, could you-?”

Sera almost stumbled over her own feet trying to get there as fast as she possibly could, actually managing to smack herself on one of the hanging lanterns Quill had fixed up for their tent and already feeling the bruise it would leave on her face. Bloody blasted lamps.

When she did manage to get there (barely unscathed) Sera gingerly placed her hand at the hem of the other woman’s silken shirt (or tunic? Gah! She didn’t know!) and helped lift the material over the other woman’s head, taking her finely fashioned hat along with it to reveal tight, blessed curls that caught on Sera’s fingers for a brief moment.

“Sorry!” She apologized immediately and only felt the tension in her stomach leave when Vivienne nodded as acceptance and she fell back a couple of spaces away to give the mage some breathing space, “uh, that wyvern must have got you real good, huh? If it hurts I can go get one of the healers to have a look for you-”

Sera fell short at that moment, eyes catching sight of thin, silvery lines that rested just below Vivienne’s right shoulder – yet when Vivienne turned to catch eyes with her she couldn’t help but let out a distressed noise, jerking her eyes away from the scars that she had seen with her mind already starting to shout at her for being so nosey in the first place.

Vivienne had respected her boundaries by not looking and Sera had been grateful for it, now to repay her she had looked (unabashedly) at Vivienne without even realizing she had done so and had violated her trust just out of curiosity. It felt wrong to even look at her and so she didn’t, fingers curling together in order to jab and pick at the bandages wrapped around her wrist.

 “Sorry,” she said before anything else could escape her mouth, hand nervously coming to run through her hair like it was the only thing grounding her to the ground, a force that her body felt like it was going to fight with in a matter of moments with how at only hearing silence did it feel as though the only possible response was to flee. As fast as she could.

But she didn’t, because something told her to stay and little by little Sera could feel herself start to calm down. Vivienne had not said anything, Vivienne had not told her off, Vivienne hadn’t…

“When I first arrived at the Circle,” Vivienne said instead with another wince as she eased herself back onto the propped up pillows (one she had stolen from Sera’s cot so it seemed), a smile on her face that relaxed Sera back into feeling as she had done so before in the other woman’s company, especially when she saw those dark eyes stare warmly at her. “When I first arrived – I used to have fits beyond count, nervous, anxious ones that I could hardly remember until I woke up and found my bed wet because I had scratched my shoulder in the night, without warning, without even realizing.”

Sera watched under hooded eyes as the First Enchanter moved a hand to grasp at the thin sheets that the mage had tucked under the sides of her cot, unlacing the material tenderly to pull the thin sheet up and over her until it was tucked under her chin.

It was such a childish movement that it made Sera smirk inwardly, Vivienne liked to surprise her in everything apparently.

And Sera liked being surprised, even if it was an odd mixture of shock and pleasure as the mage continued her tale, hands tucked under the covers as she did so in an effort to get comfortable.

“Sometimes,” Vivienne smiled a smile that one gave as though they were about to give a very dark secret, “I still find myself in that place, where I can’t stop myself reaching to that patch of skin behind my shoulder with such urges to scratch at the skin. It’s never gone away, that feeling flares up every now and again.”

Sera bit her lip, her curiosity getting the better of her, “how do you handle it?”

“Some days I don’t.” Vivienne responded, her words jarring against the smile that still resonated tenderness on her pretty face. Yet Sera could only nod her head dumbly, angling her face away to hide the look of understanding there.

She didn’t know if she was really read to admit that she understood as well as she did.

So instead she made her way over to her own cot, silent as ever, and laid down on the soft material with a small sigh – eyes meeting Vivienne’s mid-way just as she was about to ask if the mage was enjoying that pillow of hers or not.

Sera swallowed loudly and felt around in her pocket to pull her sponge ball out of her pocket, placing it in between them.

“You can borrow it y’know,” Sera murmured, hating how weak and defenceless it made her sound, and only tried to save herself with a pained grin, “it helps with the whole ‘aghhhhhhh’ thing you might have going on.”

Vivienne didn’t respond with words and immediately Sera felt as though she had said the wrong thing entirely and instantly went to apologize, yet before she could even open her mouth Vivienne had reached for the sponge ball and cradled it in her hand.

She brought it up to her face and the complete look of…reverence made Sera stare at the other woman fondly, unsure on what to say now apart from maybe how much she appreciated Vivienne in spite of everything that had happened between them.

Vivienne had been obscenely patient with her and now she looked at the one thing Sera really did cherish beyond belief as though it was some beacon, and well, maybe…

The elf groaned inwardly. She really, really did appreciate Vivienne.

Even more so when she placed the ball back in her hand, warm fingers tugging at Sera’s own to make them grasp firmly around the ratty sponge that had that remarkable, almost miraculous effect of making Sera relax from the tensed state that she had no idea she had even been in until now.

The First Enchanter’s hands stayed a few seconds more than necessary. Sera’s heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

And then Vivienne’s hand squeezed her fingers. “Red wasn’t much my colour darling, now if you have one in gold…”

Sera smirked, “I’m workin’ on it! Just give me a few days, sure I’ll find one sooner or later, yep?”

“It’ll help.” Vivienne told her and it was rather odd, Sera decided, that she actually did believe the other woman when she said that. It wasn’t some hollow reassurance of any kind, just simply a statement that Sera found herself trusting even as that nagging voice told her not to, and fuck was she glad that it was at least a bit more quiet than usual.

Sera saw the way the woman looked down at her brown, freckled skin and leaned over to readjust the cushions Vivienne sat against, picking at the cotton with a delicacy to make them expand and thus grant the mage more comfort.

Her arm had been hurt badly in the fight, and Sera would be damned if she didn’t help Vivienne as best as she could.

She couldn’t help but smirk at that, moving a stray strand of blonde hair out of her face, “Going to be getting pampered for a few days, huh?! What with you and Quill both out for the count looks like me and Cass are goin’ to have to pull our weight around here!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I can move around just fine.”

“You shouldn’t have to!” Sera shot back with a grin before it dropped as she caught sight of the dark skin underneath Vivienne’s clothing, “uh, by the way…want me to have a look at it? Looks kinda sore.”

Sera had seen her own scars that many times she found these sort of things pretty easy to recognize.

Vivienne touched a strand of hair in response, the blonde tips caressing her soft fingers, “only if you let me have a look at your hair, darling. It seems like that would be a fair deal, don’t you think?”

“Hey! No way!” Sera withdrew as far away as she could, her ball being thrown at the First Enchanter with a laugh, an even bigger one when it simply rebounded off Vivienne’s unharmed side. “I was being nice!”

“So was I.” Vivienne responded and the blonde elf was unsure if the confusion was feigned or not.

The ball was thrown back at her moments later, landing in her lap for Sera to pick at it relentlessly for a moment or so before she felt casual enough not to feel silly, placing it back in her pocket where it belonged and where Vivienne’s eyes could not stray too long.

Vivienne’s eyes didn’t stray, in fact they closed so quickly that Sera hardly paid attention right up until the point she could feel Vivienne’s warm fingers wrap around the curve of her cheek, to tilt it slightly with an affection in her touch that made Sera hitch and for her to be flooded with the same emotion she had felt the first time Sera had left Vivienne’s room, unable to sleep, craving for adventure.

“At least we were both lucky to have our faces remaining intact,” Vivienne told her, eyes flickering open as she examined Sera’s slightly scraped face with a smile pulling on her lips, “though perhaps a scar would suit you like it does Cassandra, and you were in Orlais at the time when scars of any sort were seen as attractive and…what was the word-“

Sera’s eyes widened and a small laugh escaped her lips, the action causing her to pull away from Vivienne’s grip on her chin to flash her a teasing smirk that made her stomach suddenly feel very warm and light.

“I knew you liked that rugged look!” Sera didn’t mind, that scar really did do weird things to her body too, but to see Vivienne confirm it with sweet, tittering laugh and a nod of her head made Sera’s head spin and she felt herself sit back on her ankles with a breathless sigh.

Vivienne closed her eyes again, pressing her head back against the pillows she had stolen from Sera’s side of the tent, “I like many things, darling.”

Sera continued to smirk, shaking her head, “Yeah, like what?”

Vivienne patted her wrist as if that was an answer of its own, “sleep mostly, though perhaps if you would be generous yourself and rest as the Seeker advised, I could regale you on anything else about my particular fancies that you desire to hear about.”

The ball fell out of Sera’s pocket again as she made her way back over to lie on her makeshift bed, though she suspected it was because of Vivienne’s last statement that made her trip over the blasted thing and fall at the very last moment, her landing less than graceful than usual as she ended up flat on her face with Vivienne’s laughter ringing in her ears.

Shit, fucking nug nuggets, she must have it bad.

“You see darling, you’re tired too…” Vivienne whispered and when Sera turned her head (nose sore, head even sorer than that) she saw that the woman had taken the ball that had dropped from her pocket again and was holding it out to her again, “It would be best for us to consider Cassandra’s advice, she’ll fall over half exhausted eventually and I would find it if she does so, then one of us will be rested enough to replace her.”

“I’ll do it!” Sera volunteered without thinking of anything else but how Vivienne looked too exhausted to even lift her arm, never mind use it to pick herself up and walk around with that heavy weight weighing her down.

So that was settled then, Sera thought, it looked like Vivienne was hardly listening to her with her eyes still closed and her breathing slowing down bit by bit.

The thought of the other woman falling asleep must have been what triggered her to say something, this sudden panic that seized her and grasped at her chest as though something terrible would happen if she didn’t say anything and-

She took the ball that Vivienne had dropped near her and pressed it to her chest, over her heart, as she looked over at the First Enchanter where her head was drooping slightly and her tongue was gently peeking out of her lips to wet them. So close to the grasp of sleep.

“Uhhhh...sorry about walkin’ out on you ages ago before-“ Vivienne’s grunt drew Sera’s gaze towards her, eyes widening at the slightly irritated look that had managed to forge itself on the other woman’s face.

“-Sera darling, could we perhaps speak of this at another time? I’m exhausted.”

Flushing, Sera threw her ball up in the air and caught it with a squeeze that made her fingers wrapped tightly around the rubber flush red also: “yeah, sorry, blah blah, shut up Sera, you prick.”

Vivienne did manage to raise her arm then, shaking slightly out of exhaustion but strong enough to brush against Sera’s arm again. She was so tender even in her exhausted state, and Sera…Sera didn’t know what to do about it but sigh. If she wasn’t careful she wasn’t going to sleep tonight, but Vivienne’s presence was at least calming and if she closed her eyes tight enough it would probably be easier to…

Fuck it. She was going to sleep.

* * *

 **C** assandra found herself stumbling towards her tent in the early hours of the morning, the phantom pains of the scar on her cheek giving her a new sense of pain, a new sense of weariness that made her crave and hunger for the softness of her cot and the oblivion of dreams that awaited her.

The Inquisitor would be fine, one of the maids had told her, looking as though she too was going to collapse at just looking at Cassandra’s hunched body slumped against one of the poles of Quill’s tent. She would be fine, but rest was necessary and the healers had advised that rest should be inclined towards Cassandra also.

She had been vaguely offended, but she also knew it to be true. Sleep was a worthy adversary after all, whenever Cassandra decided to fight it at the very least.

Cassandra was already undoing the buckles that kept her armour together when she ducked her head low to enter the tent, eyes averting from the tent’s flooring to stop completely still, focused on the sight that lay in front of her in such a manner it reminded the Seeker of falling through the air to hit the ground with an unearthly thud.

Vivienne’s left arm had been wrapped up in bandage (to her wrist, a nasty wound, one that she hadn’t even noticed thanks to her own concern with the Inquisitor) and had been carefully positioned on top of her stomach, clearly from the help of Sera whom had managed to fall asleep as close to the other woman as possible without actually touching her – the red, rubber ball Cassandra hadn’t truly noticed until now, clutched firmly in her hand.

How strange, to have something as tatty as that to comfort her into sleep.

The elf lay on her stomach, her blanket wrapped crudely around her ankles. Cassandra guessed that Sera had been having a nightmare to end in up in such a position with her left arm tucked underneath her chin, and the right sprawled so tightly bound towards Vivienne that it hardly looked the most comfortable of positions.

That was before Cassandra saw however that the arm of Vivienne’s she had believed to be tucked under her blanket was in fact pressed to her side, only her hand was tilted slightly, long fingers spread out into an open palm that grasped at nothing but her fingers? They were slim and stretched out towards the rubber ball Sera had in her hand as though it was a source of oxygen, the purple-painted fingernails dug deep into the red rubber, stilling it from moving even as the elf snorted and moved around in her sleep.

The First Enchanter was holding the ball still, and just the very sight of it made Cassandra laugh (quietly of course, having to explain her laughter did not hold appeal to her) and clutch at her stomach when it tinged in pain as she did so. Bruises more than likely, but worth it considering the sight that greeted her eyes.

‘ _Let’s hope the First Enchanter does not wake up with cramps in her hands,_ ’ Cassandra thought wryly, unbuckling the last piece of armour away and letting it fall with a thud. _‘Maker knows what will happen with Vivienne having cramped hands.’_

As if prone to agreement, Sera snorted and mumbled something that suspiciously sounded like ‘fuck yes’ as she turned her head to the side – letting out a snore and another grumble, though this time incoherent and not as endearing as before.

It still didn’t fail in making Cassandra laugh in spite of all what had happened today, nor did it erase the fact that perhaps a suggestion to Vivienne on subtlety would not go amiss – a fact that did not remain unproven when she walked towards the both of them to stare at the ball both of them held between themselves.

“Perhaps reconsider your choice of action, Seeker,” Vivienne’s drowsy voice warned her with a hint of steel that was quickly smelted by the haste of the sweet smile that followed.

Cassandra snorted.

As she had been saying…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And like that! I am done. I apologize for the long wait between chapters, but it was difficult for me to write something that really means this much to me. I hope everyone reading enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it though, feel free to comment and even ask for requests.
> 
> Thank you again! :)


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